Multi-tasking has also been enhanced. When opening a Windows 8 app, users can decide whether to open it full-screen or alongside an existing app.

The addition of an apps button lets users more easily access the apps screen. By contrast, the current process requires that you right-click on the Start Screen and then choose All Apps from the apps bar.

Once on the apps screen, users can now also sort their apps by "most used" as well as by name and installed date. The apps screen also now lets you search for specific apps rather than having to drill through the entire list.

A video of Windows 8.1 (see below) created by blog site WinBeta takes you on a tour of the new features. The video reveals other changes in Windows 8.1, most notably a host of new options in the PC Settings screen

About the author

Journalist, software trainer, and Web developer Lance Whitney writes columns and reviews for CNET, Computer Shopper, Microsoft TechNet, and other technology sites. His first book, "Windows 8 Five Minutes at a Time," was published by Wiley & Sons in November 2012.
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